Akatsuki-class destroyer (1931)
|Class before=Fubuki-class destroyer |Class after=Hatsuharu-class destroyer |Subclasses= |Cost= |Built range= |In service range= |In commission range= 1932—1944 |Total ships building= |Total ships planned= |Total ships completed=4 |Total ships cancelled= |Total ships active= |Total ships laid up= |Total ships lost=3 |Total ships retired=1 |Total ships preserved= }} |module2= |Ship length= |Ship beam= |Ship draft= |Ship propulsion=2 shaft Kampon geared turbines 3 boilers |Ship speed= |Ship range= 5,000 nm at 14 knots (9,200 km at 26 km/h) |Ship complement=233 |Ship armament=• 6 × Type 3 127 mm 50 caliber naval guns (3×2) • 2 ×Type 93 13mm machine guns (2×1) • 9 × torpedo tubes (3×3) • 18 × Type 91 torpedoes • 18 × depth charges }} }} The was a class of four destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy.Jentsura, Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945 Almost identical in appearance to the previous Fubuki class, they are regarded as a sub-class by many authors, partly because the Imperial Japanese Navy itself kept the improvements made a secret, and did not officially designate these four destroyers as a separate class. This class of destroyer should not be confused with the much earlier ''Akatsuki'' class of the Russo-Japanese War period. Background After a number of years of operational experience with the Fubuki-class, the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff issued requirements for four additional destroyers, with a maximum speed of 39 knots, range of at , and armed with Type 8 torpedoes. These destroyers were intended to operate with the new series of fast and powerful new cruisers also under consideration as part of a program intended to give the Imperial Japanese Navy a qualitative edge with the world's most modern ships. The new vessels were built from 1931-1933.Fitzsimons, Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare p.1040 Design The Akatsuki vessels had larger boilers and a narrower fore funnel than the previous Fubuki, and internally the number of boilers was reduced from four to three due to improvements in boiler design and efficiency. Other improvements over the Fubuki-class included a splinter-proof torpedo launcher-turret, which allowed the torpedo launcher tubes to be reloaded in action (something which Western destroyers still did not have in the 1990s).Fitzsimons, Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare p.1040. However, the Akatsuki-class shared a number of inherent design problems with the Fubuki-class. The large amount of armament combined with a smaller hull displacement than in the original design created issues with stability. After the Tomozuru Incident, in which the basic design of many Japanese warships was called into question, additional ballast had to be added. In the Fourth Fleet Incident, during which a typhoon damaged virtually every ship in the Fourth Fleet, issues with the longitudinal strength of the Akatsuki class hull was discovered. As a result, all vessels were reconstructed in 1935-1937. This increased the displacement to 2050 tons standard tons and over 2400 tons full load. The rebuild reduced the top speed slightly. The main battery consisted of six Type 3 127 mm 50 caliber naval guns, mounted in pairs in three weather-proof, splinter-proof, gas-tight gun turrets . Ammunition was brought up on hoists from magazines located directly underneath each gun turret, which had a greater rate of fire than other contemporary destroyers, where ammunition was typically manually loaded. The mounts could elevate each gun separately to 75° elevation for AA use. Originally Type 8 torpedoes were carried, arranged in three triple mountings. These were later replaced with the famous Type 93 "Long Lance" oxygen-propelled torpedoes during World War II.Peattie & Evans, Kaigun page 221-222. Operational history List of Ships Type I (Fubuki) Notes References Books * * * * * * * * External links * * * *Pacific War Online Encyclopedia Category:Destroyer classes Akatsuki-class destroyers Category:World War II destroyers of Japan